So I have been wanting to shape a mini simmons for awhile now and haven't had the time or money because I'm constantly moving for work. But I got the drive today and realized I had a decent amount of glass and resin from previous boards. So I devised a plan and started to make the Sh1t1est board known to man today. hoping to finish the board by tonight and take it out for the waist high swell in S. Florida tomorrow. I will post some pic's of the build and supply some of my crazy secrets for a $50 board after taking it for a spin tomorrow! let me know if anyone else has done the lowest of low budget board shapes!
I shaped this with a donated blank from Mitchell and $30 in left over glass and resin. Board is a monster in waist high and under. Had it out in shoulder high plus, that was a wild ride!
Lol, thanks! 5'1" and wide as hell. People think I'm a weird old guy on a body board until I catch a wave, then they think I'm a weird old guy riding an equally weird little board.
That's pretty wild looking. I was hoping to do the mad dash and finish it by tomorrow.. Not gonna happen. The one I'm shaping is 4'8" by 21' and 2.5" thick. Looks like a boat at the moment.
Zippy, like that flatfish! I shaped a 5.7 mini simmons like keel board this spring. Just getting used to it, fun times. I once shaped a cheap board out of home depot foam, which I laminated together to get the rocker. This was before I began to surf! Broke and desperate at the time. Cost about $100 when finished. I look at it now and laugh but it got me out on the water and I learned a lot about surfboard design.
So since I'm moving...... Again... I haven't gotten wifi for my new place and will upload photos hopefully by this weekend.. As expected it's looking like a high volume trash bucket. And a lot of fun.
I shaped one maybe 6 months back. Stripped the glass off an old beat up board. Someone on here told me it was a good idea, and would be fun...they were right. Someone else on here told me I wouldn't have enough good foam left to get the shape/thickness I wanted...they were right too. The shape was basically dictated by how much foam was left. It's bizarre looking. I haven't glassed it, but still intend to. It will be a board for one of my kids, that I will of course be required to test thoroughly. I did the whole thing with an old sureform. So far my total cost is 0, but of course, I haven't glassed it. I plan to just glass on some crappy fins I have in the garage when I finally do glass it. I also hacked apart a beat up old Chinese popout. Hacked a big swallowtail off, rounded the nose, glassed over the $hitty chinese fin boxes. I left the old glass on and will just glass the parts I hacked up. It's slotted as another kids board, but it'll get the job done for one of my girls until/unless they take areal interest. Best part is it's bright yellow, and in their words, the "prettiest" board I have. It's fun messing around on these DIY projects. Makes me realize how much skill really goes into a good board Zippy: Your flatfish is not in this category. That thing looks great to me!
5'8" mini simmons Made from a completely flat panel of EPS foam which was a free scrap, no stringer, 2.5" of nose rocker bent in with cinder blocks (took about 72 hours for it to held its shape), glassed with two quarts cheap epoxy resin and red pigment. I had to bend it, because it wasn't thick enough to shape in rocker. $50 would be about right if you forget about the fins which I already had anyway. I have been riding it for three years and in the right mushy conditions it will kill it. I mean catch up to and pass by longboarders like they're stuck in the wrong gear.
My socks are usually above the knees and if the board is 5'8" then that makes me....oh wait nevermind...
interesting idea with the cinder blocks to force a rocker. Im currently building a board out of a beat up board i found on the side of the road. It is also EPS... i wasnt expecting that when I De-laminated it. how did you shape the rails of your boards that are EPS? I've got the basic shape rails, but they are very sharp angled now. I have been using a circular electric sander up until now. Not sure if i can hand sand it, i fear the foam is tooo beady for that. also trying to decide on fin kits, FCS or what ever might be easiest to install.
